Microsoft Teams Allows 20,000 Participants in Virtual Meetings, Brings 1:1 Calling Feature

Microsoft has announced that its video meet app will now limit the size of interactive meetings to 1,000 participants, with a seamless shift to a ‘view only mode after the limit is met, for up to 20,000 participants. The company has also introduced new capabilities like allowing people to add the company's branding to meetings for a professional look and feel.

"Start out with a branded meeting lobby, launching in the coming months, and extend your branding to the core meeting experience coming later," said Nicole Herskowitz, Microsoft Teams General Manager. A new Cloud-based phone calling system in Team will help employees who use phone numbers to make and receive calls with customers, partners, and vendors, whether they are in the office or working from home. "Connecting 1:1 with colleagues, customers and partners is important, especially when meeting face-to-face can be challenging. Employees in your organization can easily call each other from Teams without a phone number," Herskowitz said in a statement on Monday. The new ‘Teams Displays' feature will offer "a fresh perspective on what a phone could be."

This is a dedicated Teams device featuring an ambient touch screen, high-quality calling and video, and a hands-free experience powered by Cortana. With Cortana built-in, the Lenovo ThinkSmart View and Yealink will deliver the first Microsoft Teams displays in the US later this year. "We are announcing extended support for Skype for Business (3PIP) phones beyond 2023, so you can continue to use your existing Skype for Business phones as you move to Teams," said the company. Additionally, it will be supporting core calling features on SIP phones from Cisco, Yealink, Polycom, and others with Teams.

Support for SIP phones will be available in the first half of 2021. A new lineup of Microsoft Teams phones with physical buttons, high-quality audio, and core calling features are also coming at affordable prices. "These phones are designed for common areas and basic information worker scenarios, with options available from AudioCodes, Poly, Yealink starting early 2021," said Microsoft. "We are also expanding our portfolio to deliver new USB peripherals that have dial pads and a modern Teams user interface for heavy call users," it added.